Thread: GA-Tea Party Hosts Town Hall Immigration Meeting

6:55pm | June 1, 2010


Tea Party Hosts Town Hall Immigration Meeting
Organizers Plan To Answer Immigration Questions
By Renee Starzyk

POSTED: 5:34 pm EDT June 1, 2010
UPDATED: 6:31 pm EDT June 1, 2010

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. -- Members of the tea party in Fayette and Coweta counties expect a standing-room-only crowd at a town hall meeting Tuesday night on the controversial immigration issue.

"They're bankrupting our cities, our hospitals, our school system, and our jails," said Jim Richter, of the Fayette-Coweta 9-12 Project, a local tea party group.

Richter said that Georgia's population of illegal immigrants grew 123 percent from 2000 to 2006, more than any other state in the country.

"Our problem is absolutely serious," said Richter.

Tea party members have invited Rep. Lynn Westmoreland to attend Tuesday's town hall meeting.

"I think it's an opportunity for them to hear directly from a representative from the federal government and to ask questions," said Robert Ross, a Fayette County tea party member. "An expert can clear the air."

There has been growing debate about immigration since the arrest of Kennesaw State University student Jessica Colotl.

Police arrested her on a traffic violation, then sent her to jail when they discovered she did not have a valid driver's license and was here illegally.

Colotl will be allowed to stay in the U.S. for one year, while she finishes her schooling.

Many tea party members say they are sympathetic to Colotl, but the law is the law.

"We are doing nothing about sending those people back and saving ourselves $338 billion a year," said Richter. "That's insane. When is the madness going to stop?"

Tuesday's town hall meeting is from 7 to 8:30 p.m.at the Whitewater Neighborhood Club House, 165 Birkdale Drive, Fayetteville.

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/23759979/detail.html

Anti-Illegal Immigration Activist Blasts Sonny Perdue

Georgia Tea Party Wants Tough Illegal Immigration Law Like Arizona

By Tony McNary, CBS Atlanta Reporter

POSTED: 11:53 pm EDT June 1, 2010
UPDATED: 1:20 am EDT June 2, 2010

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. -- Members of the Tea Party in Fayette and Coweta Counties want tougher laws to fight illegal aliens in Georgia.

They support laws like Arizona's controversial illegal immigrant law. The law aims to identify, prosecute and deport illegal immigrants.

"Here in Georgia and just about everywhere, I think we should have that law," said Ryan Coffield.

Coffield, 26, was the youngest member at the meeting.

He feels the same way about Arizona's immigration law as U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland.

Moreland was one of the keynote speakers.

"If the federal government is not going to do it, then I think it's up to the states to taken on that responsibility," said Westmoreland.

Westmoreland also said Kennesaw State University student Jessica Colotl should not get special treatment.

Colotl is at the center of the immigration battle. Her parents brought her to the country illegally when she was a child.

Police arrested Colotl for driving without a license and found out she was here illegally.

"This is not about one college student being in this country going to school trying to better herself. This is about 12 to 20 million people in this country being illegal," said Westmoreland.

Gov. Sonny Purdue said although Colotl is an illegal immigrant, she should be allowed to finish college.

D.A. King said the governor is allowing her to violate Georgia's Security and Immigration Compliance Act.

"I am outraged, as should everyone who understands the law, that the governor of Georgia, Sonny Purdue has told us, that we should ignore the law that he signed into affect with great fan fair in 2006," said King.

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/23763809/detail.html

Texas, it's heartening to see Tea Party folks take up the issue of illegal aliens. There seems to be a collective blindness in the media to the relationship of illegal aliens to unemployed Americans. Based only on the report above, it seems that the Tea Party folks have also not yet made this connection.